The Dukes of Hazzard: Season 5

The 1982-83 Season of the DUKES OF HAZZARD was a so-so season since it left us mourning the loss of Bo & Luke Duke throughout most of this season since the Dukes 5th Season was when Bo Duke(John Schneider) and Luke Duke(Tom Wopat)were abruptly replaced by their long-lost cousins Coy Duke(Byron Cherry) and Vance Duke(Chris Mayer)throughout most of the Dukes Fifth Season since Schneider & Wopat left the series in the Spring of 1982 due to a salary dispute, but then this show took an abrupt nose-dive which inclined the producers to bring Bo and Luke back to the show in the Spring of 1983.In addition to what led to a severe cut in ratings for the DUKES OF HAZZARD; the premiere of KNIGHT RIDER in September of 1982 on the same weekend the DUKES OF HAZZARD kicked off its 5th Season with Coy & Vance since KNIGHT RIDER was a big instant smash that had wiped everything out in the ratings ranking at number 2 in the top 10 Nielsen ratings back then along with the fact that Michael & KITT had stole the Dukes thunder practically ruining them & the Knight 2000 had became the hottest car on Friday nights and the General Lee was no longer was, especially since KITT could do 10 times more than the General Lee was ever able to do along with the fact that this show was no longer in its honeymoon phase on top of that while KNIGHT RIDER was just starting its honeymoon phase of that show with its ratings shooting through the roof at an all-time high while the Dukes were sinking to an all-time low.Therefore, KNIGHT RIDER K.O'd the DUKES OF HAZZARD and nearly led to the DUKES OF HAZZARD's cancellation since the Dukes were going downhill and running out of steam, especially since KITT had obviously outclassed the General Lee causing the General Lee to go out of style and lose its touch making the Dukes & the General Lee pale by comparison resulting in the DUKES OF HAZZARD losing too many viewers from KNIGHT RIDER.Therefore you could say that Michael & KITT were peaking while the General Lee and the Duke boys were creaking especially since KNIGHT RIDER basically beat the DUKES OF HAZZARD to a pulp, including DALLAS which was on at the same time-slot on CBS as KNIGHT RIDER was on NBC every Friday night which made it kind of interesting to watch the DUKES OF HAZZARD at 8PM on CBS and watching KNIGHT RIDER at 9PM on NBC afterwards even though the Dukes didn't provide nearly as much as excitement as they had during the Dukes first 4 seasons of this show did since KNIGHT RIDER was killing them.On the other hand, what made the Dukes Fifth Season kind of intriguing was this was also the season when Deputy Enos Strate(Sonny Shroyer) returned to the show after Sonny Shroyer's unsuccessful short-lived spin-off series ENOS fizzled & cancelled by the Spring of 1981 when the Dukes 4th Season was underway, which therefore resulted in Enos going back to Hazzard County to get his old job back as Sheriff Roscoe's fellow deputy replacing Deputy Cletus Hogg(Rick Hurst) eventually, since Cletus was abruptly dropped from the show after the first 5 episodes of the 5th Season, but it was interesting seeing Enos and Cletus working together as partners temporarily, since Cletus had replaced Enos in the 3rd Season when Enos had departed the show after the 2nd Season when Enos moved to California to take a job with the LAPD, but I always preferred Enos to Cletus, since Enos was never as clutzy as Cletus was and was usually more cooperative with the Dukes than Cletus ever was too along with the fact that it was kind of interesting seeing other Duke relatives driving and handling the General Lee too.I also used to get a kick out watching Cletus and Enos fighting over who would get to drive the patrol car they were sharing and who would get to do what during Cletus's last 4 episodes, but for some reason they never explained how or why Cletus left the show all of the sudden after Cletus made his last appearance in the "Big Daddy" episode, but had only mentioned Cletus's name once after his sudden departure from the show in "The Hazzardgate Tape" episode when Roscoe had criticized Enos for being incompetent ever since Cletus was on vacation, but Cletus was never mentioned again after that as if Cletus never even existed and was never even part of the show in Enos's absence during the 3rd and 4th Seasons.Unfortunately the Bo and Luke Duke wannabes(Coy & Vance Duke) didn't have what it took to make this show work, just like it was for Ponch and Joh on CHiPs when Ponch(Erik Estrada) left CHiPs in it's 5th Season temporarily, due to a salary dispute and then when Jon(Larry Wilcox)left the show and got replaced by Ponch's new rookie hot-dog partner Officer Bobby Nelson(Tom Reilly)in CHiPs 6th Season, since Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada didn't get along very well in real life behind the set.Therefore, NBC ended up cancelling CHiPs after it's 1982-83 Season, since the ratings on CHiPs had toppled when Jon left the show in the Spring of 1982, plus the producers of CHiPs ended up bringing Ponch back permanently when the ratings started going downhill on CHiPs after showing 3 episodes without Ponch while world famous athlete(Bruce Jenner) briefly joined the cast on CHiPs as Jon's interim partner trying to help save the show by temporarily replacing Ponch when Erik Estrada(Ponch) abruptly left CHiPs temporarily due to a salary dispute, but Steve McLeisch only lasted 6 episodes and only his first 3 co-starring episodes subbing in Ponch's absence.Therefore, the producers of CHiPs were inclined to bring Ponch back permanently by bringing Erik Estrada back with an agreeable salary with the abrupt departure of Bruce Jenner(Steve)in the Winter of 1982 when it became apparent that Wilcox didn't want to do the show anymore.In other words, CBS had to use the same strategy with the DUKES OF HAZZARD that NBC had to use with CHiPs, since the DUKES OF HAZZARD wasn't the same at all without Bo and Luke and CHiPs wasn't the same without Ponch and Jon, since Bo and Luke were the soul support for the DUKES OF HAZZARD and Ponch and Jon were the soul support for CHiPs.As a matter of fact, it just so coincidentally happens that the year Bo and Luke were replaced by Coy and Vance on the DUKES OF HAZZARD was the same year Jon got replaced by Bobby on CHiPs as Ponch's new partner, which made both shows plummett in the ratings, except the old Dukes returned in the second half of the Dukes 5th Season, but Jon never returned to CHiPs even though it was going down the toilet with no other hope left to improve the show, which was very similar to what resulted in BUCK ROGERS and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA cancelling after their 2nd Seasons.It was also interesting seeing Richard Moll on this show before his baliff(Bull Shannon) days on NIGHT COURT getting beat up by Bo and Luke in the "Daisy's Shotgun Wedding" episode along with the fact that the ratings on this show surged back up big time when Bo and Luke returned to Hazzard County, which certainly helped save the show.It's just too bad Jon Baker(Larry Wilcox) couldn't return to CHiPs in it's Sixth Season when the ratings on CHiPs went downhill when they replaced Jon with that Jon Baker wannabe Bobby Nelson(Tom Reilly), because I think the ratings would've gone back up if they'd brought Jon back to the show and got rid of Bobby later, but it wasn't bound to happen since Erik Estrada(Ponch)and Larry Wilcox(Jon)didn't get along in real life, just like Fred Dryer(Hunter)and Stephanie Kramer(McCall) didn't get along in real life on the police drama HUNTER, which was why Stephanie Kramer departed that show after Hunter's 6th Season and got replaced by Hunter's new partner LAPD Sgt. Joanne Molenski(Darlanne Fluegel) in Hunter's 7th Season, which eventually got replaced abruptly by Hunter's last partner Los Angeles police Sgt. Christine Novak(Lauren Lane) in the Winter of 1991 before HUNTER was cancelled in the Summer of 1991, due to weakening ratings.This 1982-83 Season of the Dukes also had an interesting bonus feature with creator(Gy Waldron) explaining why the old Dukes left the show in the first place after the Dukes 4th Season, which was due to John Schneider(Bo) and Tom Wopat(Luke) feeling mistreated by the producers on this show and feeling overworked, which was why they left the show and why the producers had Bo and Luke replaced with new co-stars Byron Cherry(Coy) and Christopher Mayer(Vance)in the Fall of 1982, but that Gy Waldron had ended up bringing the old Dukes back, since the ratings started to flop in the 5th Season when Coy and Vance took over the show which nearly led to show being put on the chopping-block in the Winter of 1983, but the ratings surged back up when they brought Bo and Luke back to the show in the second half of the 1982-83 Season, which was quite an interesting documentary on this show and this season by the way.It was also interesting seeing*William Russ in "The New Dukes" episode before his co-starring days on BOY MEETS WORLD*Andy Robinson in "The Treasure Of Soggy Marsh" episode after his co-starring days on RYANS HOPE*Judson Scott in the "Witness Jesse Duke" episode after his co-starring days on the short-lived series THE PHOENIX*Shawn Weatherly in the "Coy Vs. Vance" episode before her co-starring days as Jill Riley on the original BAYWATCH*Richard Moll in the "Daisy's Shotgun Wedding" episode before his co-starring days as Bull Shannon on NIGHT COURT*Noble Willingham in the "Witness Jesse Duke" episode before his co-starring days on WALKER TEXAS RANGERThis season also takes me all the way back to memory lane when I lived in my hometown(El Centro, CA) since the Imperial Valley is where I lived all my childhood years at which was another reason why I used to always look forward to watching the Dukes on CBS every Friday night back then, since the Imperial Valley is evidently a ridiculously hot and boring place with basically nothing to do for fun or entertainment.This 1982-1983 Season also takes me back to memory lane to when we had all those budget cuts going on from the recession we had back in 1981-1982 when Ronald Reagan was our president.Overall, I would have to say the 1982-83 Season of the Dukes was somewhat of an interesting season, but not as good as the first 4 seaons.

Fast delivery and brand new, which is amazing. This was the last one I needed, my collection is now complete.

Okay, let me start by saying, that as a kid, watching (and loving) The Dukes of Hazzard, this season killed me. Without Bo and Luke, in my mind, there was no Dukes of Hazzard and that feeling was reinforced by this DVD set.With stars Tom Wopat (Luke) and John Schneider (Bo) in a contract dispute with the show's producers, the powers that be decided to go out and find a couple of replacement parts if you will, for the General Lee. What they came up with was Vance (Christopher Mayer) and Coy (Byron Cherry). It was obvious they were going for look-alikes to play the other set of Duke cousins, as opposed to finding the best actors, because these guys were certainly not the best actors. Then again, the Dukes of Hazzard was never known for being a showcase for Oscar-caliber acting.As the fifth season began, viewers learned that Bo and Luke were heading off to race on the NASCAR circuit, at the time not nearly the juggarnaut it is today. Of course what seems strange to me watching now (though it didn't strike me as a little kid) is that the Duke boys were on parole, which meant they couldn't leave Hazzard County. Remember all those times with Sheriff Little chasing the boys for being parole breakers? If that's the case, how could they leave Hazzard to race and when they return still be on parole? A good question that never really gets answered.With Bo and Luke gone, Vance and Coy show up and take over the 1969 Dodge Charger known as the General Lee. They move onto the Duke farm with Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) and cousin Daisy (Catherine Bach). And while the two main characters are different, many of the stories remain the same.The Dukes find themselves in the middle of many of Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane's (James Best) sticky messes. The "law" of Hazzard County certainly isn't the fine upstanding type, but deep down, both the sheriff and Boss Hogg are decent people, as we see in an episode where Uncle Jesse is blinded while foiling a robbery and the pair are genuinely sympathetic.Of course Vance and Coy have to find ways to spoil Boss Hogg's schemes and through 18 episodes, the "new" Dukes do just that, teaming with mechanic Cooter Davenport (Ben Jones), Daisy and Jesse to keep Hazzard County on the straight and narrow. Pretty much it's the same old thing in Hazzard County: Boss Hogg and Rosco try to swindle people and the Dukes put a stop to it. Of course Boss and Rosco always find bad guys to pin the blame on.Then, in episode 19, Bo and Luke triumphantly return to Hazzard, fresh off a big win on the NASCAR circuit and ready to settle back into their lives in the sleepy Georgia county. And Boss and Rosco continue to try and swindle residents. Some things never change.There was however another change in season five. Deputy Enos Strait returned from (failed) spin-off land in California and assumes his role with the police department, teaming with fellow deputy Cletus Hogg for the first part of the season. That is, until Cletus mysteriously disappears, with no real explanation given, except for a mention of a vacation in one episode. Again, another question that doesn't really get answered.This should have been a great season for extras. It would have been nice to hear about what the cast thought of the changes around them, what the stars were looking for, how producers went about replacing them, how the fan reaction led to them returning. Unfortunately this is not discussed at all in the extras. There is a reunion of stunt personnel and a tour of Cooter's Place, a Dukes memorabilia store. These aren't bad extras, but it really would've been nice to have an inside look at just what happened in season five.Overall, I can't give this too bad a rating, because there are extras, and the quality of the reproduction seems good, especially for an older show. And really, I can't rate anything that has Waylon Jennings too bad anyway.

Although the Coy/Vance episodes didn't have the jump of the 'originals', they are certainly not as bad as I remembered. As another reviewer claimed the replacements "did they best with what they had to work with." Harmless time-fillers. Didn't know till years later the Christopher Mayer had died. May he rest in peace with the rest of the regulars who have gone:-

Another great season of the Dukes of Hazzard, Season 5 (22 episodes - originally aired in 1982-83) where both fans of the original Bo and Luke Duke, (John Shneider and Tom Wopat) and their cousins Cory and Vance Duke (Christopher Meyer and Byron Cherry) both had major parts in this season.(Episodes 1-18) Cory and Vance Duke moved in the home with Uncle Jesse (Denver Pyle) and Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach) and then Bo and Luke Duke return at Episode 18, season 5, for the last four episodes. Cory and Vance Duke departed during episode 18, "Welcome back Bo 'n' Luke".In our opinion, some of the most action packed episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard were during the episodes where Cory and Vance Duke were fending off the antics of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltraine (James Best), and Boss J.D. Hogg's (Sorrel Booke) antics in trying to frame the "good ole boys" from crimes they did not commit. It seemed like Cory and Vance would always end up with a flat tire on the General Lee during their chases to catch the bad guys that Sheriff Rosco and Enos could not catch themselves.Our favourite episodes are Episode 1 the "The New Dukes" when the Mean Green Machine armoured car enters Capital City and causes havoc in the downtown where the skills of the Duke cousins along with Uncle Jesse and Daisy figure out a way to stop it. Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer) returns from the Los Angeles Police Dept. back to Hazzard County in the first episode of Season Five, where Deputy Cletus Hogg (Rick Hurst) departs the cast during the 5th episode of this season. Cooter is always ready and willing to assist the Dukes when called upon. The Mean Green Machine returns to Hazzard County in Episode 14 of Season Five. Cooter Davenport (Ben Jones) keeps the General Lee in top working order for the Duke Family and is always ready and willing to assist his friends when called upon.Late in the season, is the return of Bo and Luke Duke from the Nascar circuit and it leaves the sudden departure of Cory and Vance Duke which is a shame, as they certainly could have continued on the show in their own right as the main characters as we continue re-watching the shows, since the originally aired ones back about 25 to 30 years ago, they certainly gave good performances with what we feel was good chemistry among the Duke clan; in the same way as Bo and Luke Duke did.Rather you are fans of the original Bo and Luke Duke, or Cory and Vance Duke, there is something for all family members to watch in season five. Another great season of action packed family comedy in Hazzard County where the General Lee saves the day on the back roads of Hazzard. The balladeer (Waylon Jennings) continues to keep the suspense and jokes going with his quick witted humour at the beginning of a car jump or the break between two scenes.Season 5 is one of our all time favourites of the seven season series of "The Dukes of Hazzard".I believe this is the 30th Anniversary Year of "The Dukes of Hazzard".

now this original Dukes of Hazzard was a very very good quality tv show one of the best of its days what am i talking about there is no such thing as its day with this show last i found out there s a Cooter s Place down in the states it is a museum were you can take your family and relive all your memory s of this show you can even met and talk with some of the cast from the original show and this was the kind of good quality show that anyone of any age could watch

veyr good

This is last part I bought for my collection it's the one I needed. Hurry to buy because it'll worth more dollars soon. Need I recommend? it's 5 stars!!

I purchased seasons 4-7 for my husband for christmas, and only has a problem with season 6. A great laugh. He was happy with his gift. Price was amazing and arrived on time!